A Hero in the Dark
by ShatteredTwilight
Summary: When a simple delivery mission goes horribly wrong, Naruto and Sasuke are faced with a choice. Do they try to escape and save who they can along the way? Or do they plunge into the darkness to rescue those without hope? Oneshot


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

_A Hero in the Dark_

Sakura smiled as her children played in the yard while she was tending her garden. Her eldest child, Naru was teaching her little brother hide-and-seek. Being several years older, Naru knew a jutsu or two that would give her the advantage over Itachi, complements of the ninja she was named after.

'Speaking of Naruto; He and Sasuke should be getting back from their mission soon…'

Several years ago Naruto had finally come through on his completely idiotic promise…or maybe it was her idiotic wish that had caused the poor blond so much pain.

It broke her heart to see the look on his face when he and Sasuke walked through the gates. Regardless of her feelings, the look told her that he had resigned himself to the fact that the return of Sasuke meant the end of any chance they had at a relationship.

She had beaten the daylights out of him for it and even then his stubbornness caused him to believe they never had a chance.

Sasuke on the other hand, no longer distracted with avenging his clan, began to show interest in her that hadn't existed before. And she fell for him all over again.

A year later they were married with their first child on the way.

Sakura shook her head to pull herself back to reality. A sudden cry told Sakura that Itachi had probably scraped his knee and would need some of mommy's attention.

Sakura quickly walked over to her youngest and knelt beside him.

"M-M-Mommy. I hurt my knee!" Itachi said trying hard to hold in the tears threatening to break loose. Sakura cupped his face with her hand and smiled.

"Shhh, Baby, it's ok. Look, it's all better." Itachi looked down. As the green glow faded from his Mother's hands the pain in his leg disappeared. A sudden proud look appeared on his face.

"I'm not a Baby, Mom!" Itachi pouted. Sakura laughed and rubbed his dark hair. The Sasuke look-alike smiled and ran off to play with his bubble-gum haired sister. It was like they were clones of their parents. In looks anyway.

A glance at the road revealed a black-haired person coming towards the Uchiha household.

Sakura pulled off her gloves and went to stand at the gate.

--

Sasuke walked through the gates of the Uchiha complex and into the arms of his wife.

"Welcome home, Sasuke…where's Naruto?" Sakura asked.

It was strange for Naruto not to come over right after a mission. Usually Sasuke would be extremely annoyed with the blond who insisted that seeing his 'niece and nephew' was more important that his private time with his wife.

'After all, if you've waited this long, an hour or two more won't kill you.' The blond would say.

And occasionally they would return and drink in celebration over a mission well done or all too often to mourn the loss of a comrade.

But rarely did Sasuke return alone. Only when…

"Sasuke…Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked more sternly. Sasuke suddenly shook the foundations of her world. The man who rarely showed any kind of extreme emotion sobbed.

Sakura could feel wetness on her shoulder as she stood frozen, staring in to space.

"T-the idiot…" Sasuke barely managed to say before another sob tore free from his throat. "He…he…"

--

It was an easy mission, really. A simple delivery to one of Lady Tsunade's debtors. The contents made it an A-Class mission but they weren't expecting any trouble.

Sasuke and Naruto traded light banter as they entered the tower where they were to deliver the package. The tower was huge, a modern marvel rivaling the Great Naruto Bridge, standing at fifty stories. Sasuke quite seriously told Naruto that he was to do nothing that might cause the building to be renamed after him.

They walked up to the front counter and were greeted by the secretary.

"We have a delivery from Konoha." Sasuke said, all business.

"Ah yes, of course. If you would please take it to the top floor, your payment will be ready when you get back down."

"Hn."

"Always with the monosyllabic answers." Naruto said with a shrug as if Sasuke were a hopeless case.

They entered the stairwell to the left of the secretary and began their ascent.

It wouldn't have taken long to reach the top, but they were in no hurry. They had reached the town over a week early, a record time for the pair, and they felt they could take it easy.

After twenty minutes of climbing, they finally reached the 50th floor and made their way towards the only office on the floor. When they entered they were surprised that the room was empty of both people and furniture.

"What the hell…?" Sasuke muttered.

"Just leave the package and let's go already!" Naruto whined.

"Alright, alright. Just shut-up, will you? Idiot…" Sasuke said as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket. He set the package on the floor and turned to leave.

"Nothing like getting paid A-class fees for a D-class mission, eh Sasuke?"

"Naruto you…" Sasuke began. A deafening roar shocked the pair into attention as the entire building shook and caused the lights to go out. Sasuke and Naruto rushed over to a window on the far side of the empty office and glanced out while breaking open a few glow sticks. Fire and smoke billowed out of the windows several floors down.

They'd been set up. More than likely someone had gotten to one of the people who Tsunade owed money and used them to set up this trap.

"Damn it!" The pair yelled in unison as they turned to leave. A flash of light on the ceiling suddenly caught the pair's attention. An explosive device with 10 seconds on the clock hung above them with a flashing red light bulb.

"Oh, shi…" Naruto yelled as he did a one-eighty. The pair rushed back towards the window. It was going to be tricky surviving jumping out the window but there was no way they'd survive the explosion if they went the other way.

Naruto and Sasuke leapt at and through the window and began plummeting.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto yelled. Two clones poofed into existence. They grabbed Naruto and Sasuke by the shirt and threw them towards the building. Collecting chakra to their hands and feet the pair grabbed on to the building and stopped themselves after a twenty story fall.

The second bomb exploded raining debris out on to the city below and causing the shadow clones to poof out of existence.

"That was close." Sasuke muttered.

"Come on!" Naruto snarled as he threw himself through another window, this time going back in to the building.

The floor they entered into was an office floor. The people were standing around looking fearful in their cubicles but otherwise not moving.

"People, we need everyone to begin evacuating as calmly as possible! There has been an explosion several floors up!" Naruto yelled. A few panicked and rushed towards the exit while the rest did as they were told. Naruto's commanding voice providing the people with a sense of trust and comfort.

While the people began filing down the stairs, Naruto and Sasuke rushed up towards the floor where the explosion happened, giving people instructions to evacuate as they went.

The last couple of floors before they reached ground zero were devastated. Glass was shattered and scattered everywhere. Ceilings and floors were cracked. Several people were lightly injured much to the pair's relief. Injuries beat the hell out of casualties, of which there were none so far.

They finally reached the floor below where the explosion happened. There were several bodies; more than likely anyone on the floor hadn't even noticed they were dead. Naruto gritted his teeth and began looking for a way up.

The search revealed that the only way up was through the hole created in the ceiling when the bomb went off. Either fire or rubble blocked their other options.

The building groaned and creaked as the supports began to weaken.

"Naruto, we need to go, now. The building won't hold out much longer."

"But there are still people above this floor!" He protested.

"I-I know but if we don't the building will collapse and everyone, including us, will die. There no way we can get those people through the fires and there's not enough water in the air for even a small water jutsu." Sasuke said, trying to reason with the blond.

"Oh, gods! Somebody help us!" someone shouted above them.

"Sasuke, you go. I can get through the fires just fine with the fox's healing powers." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Besides, you have Sakura, Naru, and Itachi to think of."

"Idiot. If you're going to be that stubborn about it then we'll do it together. You're incompetent otherwise." Naruto didn't even try to fake a laugh as they set to work.

--

Several creative uses of fire style jutsu and shadow clones allowed the pair to reach a small group of survivors. The building was groaning loudly now causing the pair to worry.

"Alright come on people, let's go! " Naruto called out as he began leading the people. The building groaned again and a chunk of the roof suddenly fell over one woman who was straggling. Sasuke pivoted and leapt at the woman pushing her out of the way while avoiding being hit himself.

"Miss, you need to stay with the group if we're to get out of here alive." Sasuke said as comforting as possible. The woman nodded and ran to catch up with the group. Sasuke tried to stand but pair suddenly shot through his leg.

"You ok, Sasuke?" Naruto yelled.

"I think I twisted my ankle."

"Alright come on." Naruto said as he jogged over and offered him a hand.

The building groaned once more, louder than ever.

"Naruto, you need to just go. You're going to need every last bit of chakra to get those people down."

"Sasuke, what the hell are you trying to say?"

"I'm exhausted, I don't have the amount of chakra you have. I've twisted my ankle and that'll slow us down. I'm telling you to shut up and get those people out of here. And please…take care of Sakura for me."

"Sasuke…" Naruto said quietly.

"Just do it. I've lived out my dreams but you still have yours to complete. So just go already."

"Fine I'll take these people down, but then I'm coming back for you." Sasuke started to protest. "Sasuke, Be strong. Believe." With that Naruto separated into several clones and left with the people.

Sasuke pushed himself over to a pillar that was still standing. Of all the things he had survived up till now, a twisted ankle was going to be the end of him. Pathetic.

'At least, I've ensured the Uchiha clan will continue on.' He thought miserably. Even that was small consolation when compared to the fact that he'd never see his children's smiles again.

Sasuke laughed. It was the laugh of a man faced with his own death. Everything just seemed so funny. The irony that he might die by his clan's elemental affinity, the way he'd been caught off guard by the explosives. Everything.

The building was in its death throes. Sasuke knew it wouldn't be much longer. Then Naruto's words came back to him.

"_I'm coming back for you…Be Strong. Believe."_

Why did the idiot have to say that? It filled him with so much false hope that it was sickening. Naruto had done the impossible before but this was too much for even him.

Then there was a shock of blond. He'd come back.

"Stay still, Sasuke." Naruto said quietly. His hands glowed green and began to soothe the pain away in his ankle. "Now come on, we have to go." Sasuke slowly stood up.

"When did you learn medical jutsu?" Sasuke said astounded. This was too much. The idiot had done it! He could still survive! The pair quickly began to descend the crippled building.

"Sakura taught me. Said the Hokage needed to know more than how to blow stuff up."

Sasuke allowed himself to laugh.

--

It was about half way down that tragedy struck.

They were grinning as safety got closer and closer.

Then things seemed to slow down for Sasuke. The groaning of the building was suddenly much closer than before. Sasuke looked up in time to see the roof begin to cave in right on top of him, ready to take his second chance away. He barely realized what was going on as something hit his back and flung him forward.

Sasuke rolled to his feet and turned around. He felt like screaming. Naruto was lying on his back with everything below the waist crushed under several tons debris. And worst of all, a large pipe had lodge itself through Naruto's stomach. Blood pooled beneath the struggling blond.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he ran over towards the blond.

"S-Sasuke. I-I think the fox just had… one hell of a surprise…" The blond muttered quietly.

"Naruto…Why did you save me? Why…"

"Cause that's…what…Hokage's do… Now go on…Get out of here…"

"But Naruto!"

"Go, Sasuke! It's…too late for me…but remember. Be Strong. Believe."

Sasuke stood and began slowly backing up, in complete disbelief. There was no way the future Hokage could die, no way _Naruto _could die.

Naruto lifted his hand and gave Sasuke the thumbs-up and a smile.

"Tell everyone I said hi…" The roof suddenly groaned and rubble completely buried Naruto.

"No!" Sasuke yelled.

He almost went back to try to help the blond, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It wasn't because he was afraid to die. That was a part of a shinobi's daily life. It wasn't because of his wife and kids, either. It was because Naruto had given him not a second chance at life, but his second _and_ third chance. He would not, could not bring himself to spit on the precious gift of borrowed time that Naruto had granted him. Sasuke and 93 percent of the occupants escaped the building with their lives

They never found Naruto's body.

--

"Nononononono!" Sakura cried as Sasuke delivered the end story. Sasuke held his wife tightly.

"I never had a chance to say good bye…or thank you." He whispered as tears began dripping down his face. "I'm going to do it for him…"

"Huh…?" She said as she looked up at his face.

"I'm going to become Hokage. He gave up his life, his dreams, everything for me and for you. So I want to let his dreams continue through me. I want to live like he lived. All out, full of joy, and with a fierce will to protect this village."

"I…I think he would like that."

--

Well, there it is! I hope that rather than being depressing, this fic inspires hope, courage, and a fierce will to protect those people precious to you!

I'll be honest, I am not really a fan of SasuSaku but this pairing seemed to fit perfectly in this story.

And finally this fic is based on the song Believe by Yellowcard.


End file.
